This week marks the start of the spring bean harvest in Northern Ireland, with Hillsborough grower Charlie Kilpatrick geared up to combine a crop that was desiccated with glyphosate some 21 days ago.
The Co. Down man has been growing spring beans consistently since 2015.
“This is the seventh consecutive harvest. Beans have worked as a very effective break crop within the arable rotation followed on the farm,” he said.
“They were grown initially as part of an ecological focus area. But, despite the ending of the scheme, I decided to maintain an interest in beans because of the benefits they brought to the farm as a whole.”
Charlie took part in a recent College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) webinar, which looked at the potential for protein crop production in Northern Ireland.
Average bean yields on the Kilpatrick farm have been in the range of 1.7 to 1.8t/ac.
“This year’s crop was sown out on March 6. This is the earliest that I have ever been able to get beans into the ground. Normally, I would be targeting a sowing date of around St. Patrick’s Day,” he continued.
“The crop has grown well this year. So it will be interesting to see what final yields are like.”
Charlie normally crimps the beans within 24 hours of harvest and then propcorns the crop to ensure effective winter storage.
He uses some of the home grown beans himself, with the bulk of the crop sold to a local dairy farmer.
Spring beans
Beans are a valuable source of both protein and starch. As a result, they can be very effectively included in the rations fed to growing cattle.
Charlie values the crop on its protein content, relative to soya, while also factoring in its starch content.
“Soya prices are easy to access at any time of the year,” he explained.
“But I have a specific arrangement with the neighbouring farmer, when it comes to payment, that suits both parties.”
Charlie quickly admits that beans do not make strict, economic sense, if assessed as a stand-alone crop.
“But that’s not the real issue,” he said.
“When followed by a first winter wheat, they help to generate the best cereal yields achieved on the farm.
“This has consistently been the case, which was why I continued with the crop even after the initial support scheme ended.
“Approximately 20% of the arable area on the farm is dedicated to spring beans on an annual basis.
“They are quite a straightforward crop to grow. Pre-emergent herbicides work well. However, beans can become quite a tall crop, which can cause a challenge or two when it comes to spraying fields off prior to harvest,” Charlie concluded.